Brutal Skies
by TheDragonLover
Summary: Sequel to game 'Savage Skies', M to be safe. A young girl, Wardia, and her Roc companion, Swifttail, find themselves in the middle of a war, unprepared. Read to find out more! DISCONTINUED.
1. Enter the Fray

Wadria looked out across the meadows of Virtwyn territory. The breeze it brought, usually filled with the smell of freshly bloomed blossoms and wet grass, was filled with the scent of blood and death. She could see the flashes of battle from here. Already, the Virtwyn had to defend themselves.

After the Chrysalis' base had been destroyed, and later the Pariah, the Chrysalis held a deep grudge against the Virtwyn. As they hid in the jungles and licked their wounds, their hatred grew, and they plotted in secret. No one paid them mind, because they were few in numbers and had little strength. So, they were little threats to the Virtwyn.

Until now.

It was five years after the war had ended. They kept creating their monsters, with new twists and old faces, and making them stronger and faster. The regular Oculus was now a killing machine, still better at long-range tactics, but it could hold its own in one-on-one battles. The Ulumander, too, was upgraded; it was created into an indestructible creature that could dive as fast as lightning, and its breath was turned into lightning strikes that couldn't be dodged. They thought of every loophole and cranny and made them almost invincible.

But that didn't mean the Virtwyn wouldn't try.

They had received a warning from scouts right before the first wave hit, and their best men were out in a matter of minutes. But that was enough for the Chrysalis to observe the area and map it completely, possibly an advantage for future pillages. They used the environment to their advantage, squeezing into tight spaces to lose pursuers, looping over trees and diving into their branches to come out unscathed, and barrel rolling from towers so their chasers would crash into them. They were skilled to the extreme, although few in numbers.

Now, it was Wadria's turn to fly. She was still in-training, only about sixteen years of age, but that was enough of an excuse to send her into battle. She knew the basics, so she might last a minute out in the fray. They needed all the help they could get.

Swifttail, her Roc companion, ruffled his feathers and looked down at the rider on his back. "Shall we?" He jerked his head towards the battlefield.

The teenager looked up at his feathery head and stared at his intelligent eyes. After a moment, she nodded. "As shall." Taking the signal, the Roc screeched towards the battlefield and leapt off of the tower of the castle and into the grey sky. He flapped his giant feathery wings and lifted them into the air, towards their fate at the edge of the battleground.

They were unprepared for the sudden attack. They were at the very edge of the combat zone when they were suddenly surrounded in a dense green fog. The air was overwhelming, and Wadria held her arm over her mouth as she coughed and commanded, "Rise, Swifttail, rise!"

The Roc struggled to fly above the choking gas, but suddenly something shot and hit his side. He cried in pain, blood dripping down to the ground hundreds of feet below. His rider quickly turned to examine the area, and she commanded, "Barrel right!"

Swifttail obeyed and rolled to their right, and a whistle beside them alerted a diving Oculus just missed them. The Roc twisted his head and snapped his beak at the monster, but it wriggled out of reach and hissed at him. It was a grotesque beast; it had a handful of eyes staring at the flyers, and tentacles that wiggled in the air under a pair of huge bat wings. It also, after being upgraded, had four legs with very sharp claws for close-combat, like right at that moment.

Immediately, Wadria reacted, "Loop and sky shield!" Swifttail snapped his wings as they flew over the swipes of the Oculus' claws and rose above the gas cloud. With a glowing golden shield around them, he quickly used his Sonic Screech, resonating throughout the cloud, and the Oculus shrieked in pain as it was confused by the sound. It fell from the cloud, its rider yelling harshly at it.

Wadria sighed in relief and patted Swifttail encouragingly. He shrieked triumphantly and turned towards the other battles going on. He homed in on another Oculus and swooped in for the kill.

Suddenly, a bone-chilling shriek made both rider and flyer turn in unison. They had both heard that screech before, about five years ago.

A Warloth.

Wardia quickly yelled, "Loop and shield! We can't handle this one!" Even as she said that, however, he was glowing as the shield appeared and the world spun around them. The Warloth, however, kept tailing them, screeching at them and revealing its bloody fangs. It shot its Blood Screech, trying to absorb his health, but Swifttail was more agile and dodged in a split-second. He twisted in the air, using its shield to keep the Pariah monster away, but it kept chasing eagerly, screaming for blood.

Then, an Ulamander loomed over them, and it seemed to be ready to dive. Wardia quickly commanded, "Shield and barrel left!" Swifttail responded promptly, and the Warloth cried as it was struck by the Ulamander's dive. It clawed at the Chrysalis monster, and it zoomed away shrieking in protest. With a new target, the Warloth took off after it, leaving Wardia and Swifttail alone in the air.

As they had a moment's peace, Wardia pondered what a Pariah monster was still doing alive. Hadn't the Virtwyn forces destroyed them years ago? What was a Warloth doing still alive, and with the Chrysalis as well. It had no rider, so it was obviously wild, as its change in interest showed. But, did that mean the Pariah still existed?

She didn't have much time to think, however, as another Ulamander spotted her floating there. It screeched loudly, and she was brought out of her thoughts as the Roc was rammed by the Chrysalis monster.

It was going to be a long day.

**How do you like it? It's a sequel to the video game Savage Skies. If you don't know about it, ask about it in your review. Also, I forgot in the story to describe the Warloth. It is a giant vampire bat, but after being improved it is a lot faster (yet still no match for a Roc!) Please R&R!**


	2. Past Journeys

Wardia sighed in relief as she flopped onto her bed. "It's finally over…"

She had spent the entire day fighting off those Chrysalis monsters, dodging on a dime and dishing out hard blows that made them either bleed to death or simply rip apart. Both rider and flyer were drenched in blood by the time the Chrysalis retreated into the jungles as the remaining Virtwyn soldiers cheered. Wardia would have cheered if she wasn't so tired from all of the stress and tension. Her hands were numb from hanging onto Swifttail for dear life.

As she lay in her bed, Swifttail crowed from the balcony, "At least you made it in one piece." He looked in, his eyes gleaming with laughter. He shook a bug from his head and added, "Although it's a rather bloody one."

Wardia stretched on her bed and mumbled, "I just want to go to sleep now…" She half wondered, half dreaded if she was going to be called to go help repair the damage from the battle. Hopefully they would ignore her.

Swifttail departed outside and stretched his great wings. "I shall be on the lookout with the other resting flyers." He looked back at her, his eyes smiling. "Just scream if you need me."

The teenager just grunted in response, and the Roc took the skies with a screech, causing a few birds to fly away in alarm. Wardia crawled up to her pillow and thanked the gods she was given such a nice room. Being upgraded from in-training to rookie had its own rewards…

Then, there was a knock at the door. She immediately sat up and asked, "Who is it?"

"This is your instructor, Falconwing."

She winced. It was the Captain's steed, a Griffin. He was quite stern and cold, usually correcting everyone's errors without giving any thought to how cruel he said it. But, he was a very loyal flyer, and the Virtwyn acted as if he was a human captain. And, in a way, he was.

But that still didn't make up for his stick-in-the-mud attitude.

Wardia rushed to the door and opened, looking up at the magnificent Griffin. Falconwing lived up to his namesake, and surpassed it by far. He was more cunning, agile, and intelligent than most creatures. His feathers shone as if he had just washed them, and that was probably why, since most birds cleanse themselves frequently. He looked as if he was fit to rule a territory.

He looked down at her firmly and stated, "You are filthy."

Wardia looked down at her blood-soaked clothes, and then looked up and said, "Yes, Falconwing, I know, but I've just now gotten –"

"You must never leave your enemies blood on you," he declared, "Because it befouls everything it touches and brings disgrace upon the wearer." He bowed his head slightly and walked down the hall towards the wizard's tower. Wardia pouted and looked down at herself again. _He's never happy…_ She sighed and closed the door, hoping he wasn't going to complain to the captain. All she needed was to get on _his_ bad side. She changed from her battle-stained uniform to her formal uniform for meetings and special events. She tossed the dirty clothes in a corner and walked over to the balcony for some fresh air.

She put her hands on the railing and watched the trainees do their routines in the air. They formed a V shape, like a flock of migrating geese, and then simultaneously shot upwards in a spiral and over in a loop. At each end the flyers dived, and then it went down along both sides until the middle flyer went down to land. Wardia smiled, remembering the first time she had done a loop in the air. She had been scared stiff and held onto the Freband supplied especially for the training. But, she still pursued the life of a rider, with a will of steel and a love of flying.

Just one year ago, she was first introduced to Swifttail. At first, he didn't speak to her, and she was constantly dropped off on her rear end whenever she tried to ride him. But, eventually, they grew friendlier towards each other, and now they were great companions. Recently, as was seen by many other riding pairs, they had developed an unusually strong bond with each other. They were the most cooperative of any of the others in their class, and when she was suggested a stronger mount she declined and said 'she'd make do'. She just seemed better with a Roc than the others.

Then, said companion swooped up and landed on the balcony beside her. "Thinking about the past?" It was more of a statement than a question. He could tell by the dreamy look on her face.

She smiled at him and said, "We've been through a lot of training, haven't we?" Swifttail nodded, examining her with his bird eyes. He seemed to know where this was going. She continued, "But, now, in this war…do you think we'll survive?"

The Roc folded his wings up against his side and looked down at her. "Many people lose their lives in battle," he said solemnly, "But that doesn't mean we have to be with them." He leaned his head down and rubbed it against her face, trying to give her confidence. He smiled a bird smile, as best as a smile as he could make, and Wardia smiled, grateful for his actions. "Thank you, Swifttail."

The Roc nodded. "Your welcome, Wardia. It is better to have optimism than to moppe around." He turned towards the skies. "Now, if you excuse me, there's a pile of seeds and meat with my name on it down in the stables."

**I know, these are short, but I want to keep updating every few pages! I must get this out! I might eve do it for the Pariah and the Chrysalis! (The POV's I mean) Tell me what you think!**


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